Maybank Asset Management Launches New Fund Offering Capital Growth Opportunities in Asian Small Cap Companies

From left to right: Sue Chong, Managing Director, Head of Products & Investment Oversight, Asia Pacific, BNY Mellon Investment Management; Kedar Wagle, Co-Head of Equity-Alternatives, MAM Singapore; Doni Shamsuddin, Managing Director, Head of Asia Pacific ex-Japan, BNY Mellon Investment Management; Badrul Hisyam Abu Bakar, CEO, MAMG and Ahmad Najib Nazlan, CEO, MAM Malaysia.

 

KUALA LUMPUR, 18 October 2018 – Maybank Asset Management Group Berhad (“MAMG”), one of the pioneers in the local asset management industry and BNY Mellon Investment Management, one of the world’s leading investment management organisations, today jointly announced the launch of the MAMG Asia Rising Stars Fund (“the Fund”).

The Fund is a feeder fund that aims to maximise investment returns by investing in the BNY Mellon Asia Rising Stars Fund (“Target Fund”). Launched in January 2017, the Target Fund focuses on companies with a market capitalisation below US$5 billion and seeks to provide capital growth by investing in Asian small cap companies that are listed on recognised exchanges in Asia, including Japan.

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing a minimum of 95% of its net asset value in the Target Fund. It is designed for retail investors who seek to maximise investment returns, are willing to tolerate risk associated with Asia small cap equities, and have a long term investment horizon.

Since its launch, the Target Fund has demonstrated strong performance and outperformed in periods of both rising and falling markets1.

The Target Fund combines the investment management expertise of BNY Mellon Asset Management Japan Limited (“BNY Mellon Japan”) and Maybank Asset Management Singapore Pte. Ltd. (“Maybank AM Singapore”). BNY Mellon Japan manages the Japanese small cap equities portion, while Maybank AM Singapore manages the Asia ex Japan small cap portion.

Badrul Hisyam Abu Bakar, Chief Executive Officer of MAMG, said: “We are excited to launch MAMG Asia Rising Stars as we have identified opportunities for retail investors to benefit from the Asia and Japanese small companies growth story. We remain positive on the outlook for small cap stocks in Asia as the region is benefitting from robust growth rates in many countries led by good demographics and economic reforms in Asia ex-Japan, as well as structural reforms and a cyclical upturn in Japan.”

He added that small cap companies provide an appealing investment opportunity, “Due to the large number of stocks and very limited sell side research coverage, there is more information inefficiency and mispricing in this asset class. This gives bottom up stock pickers like ourselves and BNY Mellon Japan the opportunity to take advantage of this mispricing and potentially generate healthy returns for investors.”

“We are pleased to announce our exclusive global partnership with BNY Mellon. Together we can unlock the greater potential of the fund by offering our investors a diversified exposure to both Japan and Asia ex-Japan, which is unique in the market,” Badrul said.

Doni Shamsuddin, Managing Director, Head of Asia Pacific ex Japan, BNY Mellon Investment Management, commented:

“We are delighted to partner with Maybank, the largest financial group in Malaysia and a significant institution in ASEAN on the launch of MAMG Asia Rising Stars Fund, providing investors the opportunity to access the small cap equities asset class. The Fund offers investors the best of both worlds - access to Japan and Asia ex-Japan small companies, the potential hidden gems of Asia.

Additionally, both investment teams have complementary and successful investment management styles with extensive independent fundamental analysis and high conviction stock picking strategies, which are particularly important for uncovering hidden value within the less researched small cap space.”

Investors can access the Fund at Maybank branches nationwide which is available in five currency classes, namely MYR-Class, SGD-Class, USD-Class, AUD-Class and EUR-Class.

Investors can purchase units in the Fund at a minimum initial investment of RM1,000, SGD1,000, USD1,000, AUD1,000 or EUR1,000 and make additional investments at a minimum amount of RM100, SGD100, USD100, AUD100 or EUR100 respectively.

 

ENDS

About Maybank Asset Management Group Berhad

Maybank Asset Management Group (MAMG) is one of the pioneers in the Malaysian asset management industry with over 30 years of experience specialising in Asian markets and is owned by Maybank Group and Permodalan Nasional Berhad.

Today, MAMG has entities across 3 key ASEAN markets namely Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia providing a diverse range of Asian focused investment solutions for conventional and Islamic assets. In addition to fund management services, MAMG also offers alternative investment solutions through its private equity arm. The portfolio management services cater to all types of investors including corporate and institutions, high net-worth individuals and mass retail. Maybank Asset Management Group of Companies comprises Maybank Asset Management Group Berhad, Maybank Asset Management Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Maybank Islamic Asset Management Sdn. Bhd., Maybank Private Equity Sdn. Bhd., Maybank Asset Management Singapore Pte. Ltd. and PT Maybank Asset Management.

MAMG has vast capabilities in managing local and Asian focused portfolios ranging from equity, fixed income to money market instruments for corporations, institutions, pension funds, insurance and Takaful companies and individual clients through direct mandates, unit trust and wholesale funds.

MAMG’s AUM is at RM33.7 billion as of end September 2018.

For more information on MAMG, please visit www.maybank-am.com

Disclaimer: The opinions, and/or expectations (together referred to as “Information”) contained herein are inputs provided by subsidiaries within Maybank Asset Management Group Berhad (collectively referred to as “MAMG”) which have been obtained from sources believed to be reliable 3 and are based on the technical investment expertise. MAMG makes no representation or warranty, expressed or implied that such Information is accurate, complete or verified and should not be relied to as such. The Information contained herein are published for recipients’ reference only and is subject to change without notice. MAMG shall at all times perform all transactions at arms' length for all its clients, especially when in situations where there is conflict of interest or potential conflict of interest. No part of this information may be distributed or reproduced in any format without the prior consent of MAMG.

About BNY Mellon Investment Management

BNY Mellon Investment Management is one of the world's leading investment management organizations and one of the top U.S. wealth managers, with $1.8 trillion in assets under management, as at June 30, 2018. It encompasses BNY Mellon’s affiliated investment management firms, wealth management services and global distribution companies.

BNY Mellon Investment Management is a division of BNY Mellon, which has $33.6 trillion in assets under custody and/or administration as of June 30, 2018. BNY Mellon can act as a single point of contact for clients looking to create, trade, hold, manage, service, distribute or restructure investments. BNY Mellon is the corporate brand of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (NYSE: BK). Additional information is available on www.bnymellon.com. Follow us on Twitter @BNYMellon or visit www.bnymellonim.com or our newsroom at www.bnymellon.com/newsroom for the latest company news.

Disclaimer: All information sourced by BNY Mellon as of October 2018. This press release is for information purposes only. It does not constitute an offer or solicitation of securities or investment services or an endorsement thereof in any jurisdiction or in any circumstance in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful or not authorized. This press release is issued by BNY Mellon Investment Management to members of the financial press and media and the information contained herein should not be construed as investment advice. The value of investments can fall. Investors may not get back the amount invested. Income from investments may vary and is not guaranteed.

This is for information purposes only and does not constitute or form part of an offer or solicitation of any offer to buy securities, or engage services, nor should it or any part of it form the basis of, or be relied in any connection with, any contract or commitment whatsoever.



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